Forget reaching for those toes; increase your heart rate instead

Increase your heart rate instead

By Jamie Proulx

Originally published on August 10, 2004

Stretching out before and after we exercise has been a widely
accepted practice to avoid injury and increase performance. But is
it really good for us? Stretching is often the prescription to
prevent sore muscles and pulled hamstrings, yet new evidence
suggests that more stretching does not necessarily mean fewer
injuries. It could actually make us more susceptible to injuries by
weakening our muscles.

Stacy Ingraham, University of Minnesota exercise physiologist,
says stretching may make us feel good, but the evidence in support
of stretching is more anecdotal than scientific. Instead, research
shows that increasing cardiovascular activities--things that
elevate the resting heart rate and use all muscle groups, like
running, stair stepping, or treadmill walking--is a larger factor
in avoiding overall injuries during other types of exercise.

Stretching is often the prescription to
prevent sore muscles and pulled hamstrings, yet new evidence
suggests that more stretching does not necessarily mean fewer
injuries.

So should we stop reaching for our toes? Ingraham would say yes.
"As long as we are doing activities that elicit a full range of
motion (like running), stretching does not appear to be necessary
[before or after any activity]." Others advise warming up by
jogging slowly or performing movements--like a golf swing--lightly
at first. They all agree we need to keep moving and exercising for
optimal health.